i went into this right away because i love the toning you've used, that soft antiqued yellow, but to me it doesn't quite fit the mood of the picture, also the angle on her arm is a bit unflattering (on my right side, her left) and the highlights are a bit blown out which I assume was post processing related and more than likely intentional. Now on to what I like, I really like the similarity in the pattern of her shirt and that of the trees, that intrigues me, I like the quiet, contemplative mood of this picture. How does it work in a straight black and white with your extreme lighting, maybe focusing on the red tones... to make sure that the pattern doesn't disappear? I think this is a lovely photo overall.

Even though there are some design elements that I don't like (e.g., the space above her head, her crowding the lower right of the frame), I like this...weird, but I even, now that I look at it, I do like the space above her head and I do like where she is in the frame. Sorry, I know that's confusing, but my opinion is changing as I type and look at the photo. Okay, here's what I like about this photo: it looks like a faded yearbook photo from 1972 that is way more artsy than it should be! Weird.

Yeah... this one is good. The strange tones are very interesting. There is no white at all... I like that.. a lot.

I also like the fact that the exposure seems to be metered on her shaded face... her hair highlights and the highlights on her shoulder are blown out, but they really work, because the face goes from dark to light in a nice, clean (and somewhat grainy) gradient.

I like it a lot. (The yearbook analogy is a nice way to talk about this.)

Plus, the bokeh on the background bushes is nice and sparkly, too.

Thank you everyone for the comments!

It's funny that you should all mention yearbook photos, as this was actually a photo taken of my girlfriend a few years ago at her graduation.

This was actually printed in a darkroom from a color negative, and I used a #4 contrast filter to really get some separation in the darks and lights - hence the blown highlights, but yes it was intentional. Finally a good wash and then toned in selenium.

Is this a scanned analog photograph? its a nice toning.

Michael,

Yes this is a scan of a silver gelatin print toned in selenium. Thanks for the comment!

I like the overexposure (is it?) of her hair and right shoulder (which is on the left, of course), which is then toned down by the yellowish colour. I like this, but I can't really say exactly why :)

Great work on this shot - well seen and very well executed. What an atmosphere has been created.

Best,
Jon